


June 22nd

by artikgato



Category: Persona 4
Genre: M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, but not too much, happy birthday to the trash prince of my heart, teen rating because it gets a little suggestive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-23
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-17 14:48:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11277507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artikgato/pseuds/artikgato
Summary: Yosuke Hanamura hadn’t ever made a big deal about his birthdays.





	1. Chapter 1

 

**June 22nd, 2010**

After School

Weather: Rain

 

Yosuke Hanamura hadn’t ever made a big deal about his birthdays. Not for a few years, at least. His parents were kind and they weren’t exactly poor, but they’d never gotten him anything special for his birthday, so he’d learned to temper his expectations somewhat over the years. And things were especially tight this year, he found himself thinking gloomily, because they were preparing to move to the country to a place called Inaba in October, and his parents were already doing everything they could to save money. He wasn’t expecting anything, so when he got handed a wrapped package that turned out to be a new video game, he just smiled and thanked them and told them he was going to play it right away. No need to let them know that he already had this game, and in fact, had gotten it on release day...several months ago. It’s the thought that counts, he decided. He also decided to just try to trade it in at a used video game store and hopefully they’d have something he actually didn’t already have. He wasn’t ungrateful - okay, he was a _little_ ungrateful.   

The day had kind of sucked, actually. It was raining - then again, Yosuke’s birthday was during the rainy season so it was  _ usually _ raining, but that wouldn’t stop him from complaining about it. None of his friends at school had made any sort of mention about it - no ‘happy birthday’ or anything of the sort, but he hadn’t really expected them to remember. They couldn’t even remember what was going to be on tests, let alone birthdays. So it stung, a little, but it wasn’t a big deal. He hadn’t  _ expected _ anything, but he  _ had _ hoped and that...was probably what his problem was, he decided. 

 

**June 22nd, 2011**

Evening

Weather: Sunny

 

It wasn’t until Yosuke stepped into the kitchen to find a small cake and a wrapped present on the table - but his parents nowhere to be found - that he even _remembered_ that today was his birthday. He’d been so caught up in the excitement of _meeting Rise Kujikawa_ and the investigation and the TV world and the case that he hadn’t even realized what day it was.   

He got to meet  _ Rise Kujikawa _ on his _ birthday _ . If he thought about it like that, it  _ totally _ made up for all the years of crappy birthdays and rain and unremarkable presents, didn’t it? Wow.

The cake, though small, was pretty good. He decided not to acknowledge that it was one of the day-old cakes from the Junes bakery. And once again, his parents had bought him a game he already owned that came out several months ago...but he’d really, really liked this game. Maybe he could give his spare copy to Souji? Did Souji even have a game system? He pulled out his phone to text him, only to find a message from the boy in question in his inbox.

 

>By the way, I nearly forgot with everything that happened today, but happy birthday, Yosuke.

 

Yosuke stared, jaw practically on the floor. None of his friends,  _ none _ of them,  _ ever _ , had sent him a ‘happy birthday’ text. He was so used to not getting them that he hadn’t even...wait. He hadn’t said when his birthday was to any of his new friends in Inaba...including Souji.

 

>>omg prtnr how did u find out?? I dnt think i told u? 

>I have my ways ;)

>Sorry I didn’t have time to get you a present though.

>>omfg u dnt hav 2

>>i dnt wnt nething i swear

>If you say so. :(

>>aw cmon dnt mak tht face @ me

> :( :( :( :(

>>pls

>Fine. I’ll just get you two gifts for Christmas then.

>>stop

* * *

**June 22nd, 2012**

Morning

Weather: Cloudy

 

By the time he pried himself out of bed, made himself presentable, threw on his uniform and headed downstairs, his parents and Teddie were already gone. He was so used to this, and his head was still foggy from sleep, that he forgot what day it was until he walked into the kitchen. 

This year, there was another cake - a bigger one, with cream and strawberries on top - and another wrapped present from his parents. But there was also a box. A box with very familiar handwriting on it. He found himself lunging for it, mouth spreading into a grin of its own accord.

“Please keep this hidden until his birthday” was written on the top of the box, with a smiley face drawn next to it. It was addressed  _ to him _ , but the note was clearly for his parents. He pried the box open with enthusiasm that he wasn’t sure how he was mustering this early in the morning. Souji’s Christmas gifts had been...very, very thoughtful: a CD of a band he hadn’t heard of that Souji thought he might like (he totally did) and a set of bright orange guitar picks (he’d made an offhand comment about how he needed new ones and couldn’t get them from Junes). Needless to say, he couldn’t wait to see what was in this box. 

And he wasn’t disappointed - he lifted the pair of headphones out of the box with a delighted laugh. His current pair were starting to fall apart on him - literally - and Junes had stopped carrying the brand he liked. He’d been putting off getting new ones for a couple of months now because he really liked the ones he had now - that were, in fact, around his neck at the moment. And somehow Souji had found a pair of the  _ exact same  _ headphones, in brand-new, pristine condition. He pulled out his phone to text him, but spotted a note at the bottom of the box before he could get his texting app open.

“Happy birthday, Partner!” (He did  _ not _ blush when he saw the word ‘partner’ written there, nope, definitely not) “I hope these are the right ones! I couldn’t exactly ask you the brand without giving away what I was planning, and Teddie was no help, so I had to look at pictures from when I was still in Inaba to try to figure it out.”

 

>>omg prtnr ur the best

>>the headphones r xactly the 1s im wearing

>>except u kno, they work 

>Glad to hear it!

>Happy birthday, by the way. :)

>I I wish I could be there in person

>>dude its a long train ride its fine

>>ur coming bak 2 inaba 4 summer break rite?

>That’s the plan

>>  :)

 

The game turned out to be one that Yosuke actually  _ didn’t _ have yet - he suspected that Teddie had helped his parents pick it out this year - and the cake was good. Probably still from the Junes bakery, but at least it didn’t obviously taste like it was a day old this year. Progress.

* * *

  **June 22nd 2013**

Afternoon

Weather: Rain

 

Yosuke was trying to be patient. He really, really was, but, well, it was difficult. He knew that Souji would be home any minute now and while he didn’t know what the other man had planned, he  _ knew _ it was going to be good. He’d woken up this morning to no Souji to be found but a cup of fresh coffee and a note left for him on the kitchen counter. The note had been cryptic - just the words “happy birthday” and “see you after school”. But that wasn’t what had made Yosuke suspicious. What had made him suspicious was the smiley face Souji had drawn - it looked a little...smug? Mischievious, maybe? Either way, it had made it  _ impossible _ for Yosuke to sit through his morning lectures. At least Saturday was a half-day for him. 

When he’d gotten home, he discovered a few cards in the mail from him from his parents (and Teddie), one from Nanako and Dojima, one from Rise, one from Naoto, and one from Yukiko. Chie and Kanji had just texted him ‘happy birthday’ instead. There was also, to his confusion  _ and _ delight, a postcard from  _ Kanami Mashita _ of all people. How she’d gotten the address to his and Souji’s apartment was a mystery in and of itself, let alone how she’d found out it was his birthday. Thinking back to just a few years ago, when his so-called “friends” hadn’t even bothered to remember when his birthday was, this felt...nice. Very, very nice. 

The sound of a key turning the lock of the front door made him snap back to attention from where he was sitting on the couch. Souji came through the door laden with several bags and a bright smile. 

“Welcome back!” Yosuke greeted, and even though he’d  _ tried _ he hadn’t been able to temper his enthusiasm at all. Souji chuckled.

“I’m home,” he replied, closing the door behind him and moving to put the bags down on the table.

“Need a hand with those, Partner?” Yosuke asked, but Souji just shook his head.

“Nope. Stay right there,” he said, and Yosuke sat against the couch with a grin. 

“Should I close my eyes?” he asked, and Souji shook his head. He pried open a bag and took a box out, very carefully, and put it on the table. Next were a bunch of cans of his favorite soda, bags of snacks that he liked, and a few colorfully wrapped boxes.

“There, that should do it,” Souji said after he arranged everything, gesturing for Yosuke to join him. He nearly tripped in his excitement to get off the couch, and Souji laughed. 

“So, where should I start?” Yosuke asked, eyeballing the presents. Souji reached over to the first box he’d gotten out, pulling from the bottom and opening it up to reveal a small, round cake with orange-tinted icing and the words “Happy Birthday, Yosuke” written on it in orange icing.

“It’s nothing fancy,” Souji explained, with a sheepish grin. “Just a boxed cake and premade icing. I didn’t have time to do anything special…”

“You  _ made _ a cake?” Yosuke asked, incredulous. He looked around the kitchen. “When?!”

“This morning,” he replied, holding up a knife with a fluorish. “So should I cut it, or do you want to?”

“Wait, you made it  _ this morning _ ? How early did you get up?!” Yosuke demanded, but Souji shrugged.

“You know I’m an early riser,” he replied, gesturing to the knife with a questioning look. Yosuke took the knife from him.

“Leave all the knife things to me, Partner,” he said, and Souji nodded, with a smile. He cut the cake into six even wedges, serving a piece for himself and one for Souji when the other man held out plates to him. The inside of the cake was bright orange, which made him raise an eyebrow.

“Uh...it isn’t carrot cake, is it?” he asked, and Souji laughed.

“No no, I know you better than that. It’s orange cake,” he replied.

“Whoa, really?!” Yosuke exclaimed. He snatched up a fork off the table and cut off a piece of the cake with it, bringing it to his mouth and...wow. The flavor wasn’t too powerful, the cake was moist and delicious, and the  _ icing _ . He must have made some kind of noise of approval, because Souji laughed at him.

“You like it?” he asked, and Yosuke nodded, vigorously.

“I love it! But...wait, if you made it this morning, where were you keeping it? You couldn’t have taken it to  _ class _ with you…” Yosuke asked.

“Your parents and our friends in Inaba sent you some gifts,” Souji explained, gesturing to the small pile of wrapped gifts on the table beside the cake. “I knew that if I left them in here you’d find them, so I asked the neighbors to keep ahold of them. I left the cake with them, too.”

“Dang,” Yosuke replied, scratching the back of his head. “It’s gonna be hard to top this for  _ your _ birthday.”

“You don’t have to do that-” Souji started, but Yosuke just kept going, with a smirk.

“And Christmas is going to be interesting, right?” he asked, and Souji just smiled.

“It always is,” he replied. Yosuke took another bite of the cake, savoring the flavor and the texture with what was probably a rapturous look on his face. Souji laughed again.

“Nobody’s ever made a cake for me before, you know,” Yosuke said, and Souji’s smile fell a little.

“Really?” he asked, and Yosuke sighed.

“Yeah. It was always cakes from the bakery at Junes until now...I mean, not that there’s anything  _ wrong _ with that. Some people just can’t bake, y’know? But this...man. This is amazing. Thanks, Partner,” Yosuke explained. Souji smiled back at him, and the two ate their slices of (goddamn  _ delicious _ ) cake in a companionable silence, before Yosuke turned his attention to the small pile of presents. He could tell which was which - he recognized his parents’ writing on one, Chie’s sloppy wrapping job, Yukiko’s painstakingly crisp wrapping job… he reached into the pile and plucked out the one that he knew had come from Souji, seeing his Partner grin out of the corner of his eye. 

It was small and light, and shaking it produced no clues about what it could possibly be. He honestly had no idea what Souji could have possibly gotten him this year, and it was thrilling to try to guess what it was as he slowly pulled open the wrapping paper. Every guess he had was surely going to be wrong, because Souji was both extremely thoughtful and very unpredictable…

...and tricky. Very, very tricky. Inside the wrapping paper was a small, flat, nondescript box. Inside that box was...another box. He shot Souji a look, only to find him smirking. He sighed a little dramatically, and opened that box, to find...a pair of what looked like concert tickets. Closer inspection revealed that yes, they were concert tickets and also,  _ holy shit Souji _ .

“T-this concert has been sold out for  _ months _ ?! How did you - I mean - it sold out in like  _ two minutes _ how the hell did you get these-” he stammered. Then he noticed the  _ seat numbers _ . “And this is practically right by the stage! How did you  _ get these _ ?!”

“I have my ways,” Souji replied, still smirking. Yosuke could almost  _ hear _ the smug smiley face. “The concert’s tomorrow, by the way, so I hope you didn’t have any other plans.”

“Of course I didn’t,” Yosuke replied, with a grin. He put the tickets down on the table, thought the better of it, but rounded the table and pulled his best friend into a hug anyway. Souji laughed, and hugged him back.

“I thought these were only for girls?” Souji asked, a teasing tone in his voice. Yosuke made a huffing sound in return.

“Just shut up and let me show you my gratitude!” 

* * *

**June 22nd 2014**

Early Morning

Weather: sunny

 

More often than not, Yosuke woke up to the sound of an alarm. It was annoying, but considering it happened six out of seven days of the week most of the time, he’d long since gotten used to it. His least favorite way of getting woken up, by far, was hearing the neighbors shouting at each-other - but that hadn’t happened in a couple of months, as the noisy, loud neighbors had since been replaced with much quieter ones. 

His favorite way of waking up, he was just now deciding, was definitely being kissed awake. Soft lips coaxing him awake, a gentle hand running through his hair, the taste of coffee - yeah, definitely a good way to wake up. He made a pleased noise, got a chuckle in return, and opened his eyes to see one of the most beautiful people that he knew leaning over him with a soft smile.

“Morning,” Souji told him, and leaned down for another kiss. “Happy birthday.”

“That’s way better than a text,” Yosuke blurted out, and Souji laughed, moving to stand back up straight. Yosuke sat up, noticing the cup of hot coffee and plate of breakfast sitting on the table beside him. He groaned in appreciation. “Best birthday ever.”

“I aim to please,” Souji quipped. “I’ll be out in the living room when you’re ready.”

“Uh...for what?” Yosuke asked, after swallowing the gulp of coffee he’d just taken. Souji just smirked, and sauntered out of the room. He was already dressed, Yosuke noted - in a pair of gray shorts and a white button-down shirt. 

“You’ll see. Dress light, it looks like it’s going to be a nice day,” Souji replied. Yosuke couldn’t help grinning. Whatever Souji had planned, he was absolutely sure he was going to like it. He always did. He reached for his phone as took another gulp of coffee, already feeling the sleepiness ebbing away thanks to the caffeine. He’d gotten quite a few ‘happy birthday’ texts, which he responded to while he ate. The breakfast was amazing, of course - scrambled eggs, buttered toast, fresh fruit, the works. God, Yosuke was so lucky. He was also  _ so _ going to have to start planning for Souji’s birthday, like,  _ tomorrow _ if he was going to have any chance of one-upping this. 

He combed his hair, brushed his teeth, threw on a pair of orange shorts and a blue t-shirt, and went to join Souji in the living room. Souji was watching the morning news, and petting Mocha, a purring little brown ball of fur that had been Yosuke’s present to Souji for his birthday last year. Beside him, on the couch, was an honest-to-god picnic basket, the kind that closed on the top. He found himself grinning. If Yosuke went back in time to just a couple of years ago and told his younger self that he’d be spending his 20th birthday on a  _ picnic _ with his  _ boyfriend _ , he was absolutely certain that his younger self would punch him in the face. Absurd.

“Ready to go?” Souji asked, gently picking up Mocha and depositing her on the couch before standing and grabbing the basket.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Yosuke grinned in response.

* * *

 

**June 22nd 2015**

Afternoon

Weather: rain

 

Yosuke pushed open the door to his apartment with a big, annoyed sigh, stepping inside and closing the door behind him with a huff. Really, it was his own fault. He hadn’t checked the weather this morning before he’d left for school, and hadn’t thought about needing an umbrella - it had been sunny for the past few days, after all. Now he was _soaked_ , and he’d only managed to keep his books and laptop and phone dry because a kind, kind old lady at one of the corner shops had given him a plastic bag to put them in. Well, she’d _tried_ to give him an umbrella, but by the time he was passing her shop his hair and clothes were mostly already wet. He pulled the miraculously dry books and electronics out of the bag and put them on the table, tossing the bag into the sink. He pulled off his shoes, washing all the mud off of them before making a beeline for the dryer. While his shoes tumbled in the dryer he stripped all of his wet clothes off and tossed them in the washer, along with the dirty clothes in the hamper. It wasn’t quite enough for a full load of laundry, but it was better than nothing. He contemplated waiting for Souji to get home but he was sure that Souji had been smart enough to take an umbrella with him this morning. So he started the washer, grabbed a towel to dry his hair, and went to go find some nice, dry, warm pajamas to wear. Birthday or not, they probably weren’t going anywhere tonight...not with the way it was raining, anyway.  

Half an hour later, Souji came through the door...completely soaked.

“Whoa!” Yosuke exclaimed, springing up from the couch where he had been half paying attention to a quiz show. “Geez, you’re soaked! Did you forget an umbrella too?”

“No,” Souji started, looking sheepish. He let Yosuke take the bags from them, curious about their contents but knowing Souji well enough not to look. “I couldn’t carry all this and an umbrella at the same time.”

“Aw, Partner... “ Yosuke trailed off, with a sigh. “You didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to, though,” Souji replied, eyes sparkling mischievously. Yosuke had long since suspected that he enjoyed surprising Yosuke on his birthday as much as Yosuke enjoyed being surprised. Yosuke put the bags down with an overdramatic sigh, and went to fetch a towel while Souji pulled off his shoes. Yosuke still had basically the same hairstyle that he had back in highschool, except that he’d stopped dyeing his hair and let it return to its natural dark brown state. Souji, on the other hand, and grown his hair out a bit since high school, enough that he had a short ponytail and bangs that framed his face. As such, it took him a little longer to pat his hair down than it had for Yosuke. He generally kept it in the ponytail all the time, especially during the summer, so it wasn’t often that he got to see Souji with his hair down. With that taken care of, Yosuke headed for the laundry room. Souji followed him, tossing his shoes in the dryer along with Yosuke’s.

“Oh, there’s already laundry in the wash?” he asked, and Yosuke nodded. 

“Yeah...I didn’t think you were gonna come in soaked like I did, so I went ahead,” he explained.

“Ah. Well, that’s fine. I’ll just hang these in the bathroom for now…” Souji replied, already unbuttoning his soaking wet shirt as he headed for the bathroom. He didn’t bother closing the door as he stripped out of his clothes, and Yosuke made an exaggerated wolf-whistle in response.

“So for my birthday this year I get a  _ show _ , eh?” he asked, and Souji laughed.

“If that’s what you want…” he replied, giving his hips an exaggerated wiggle as he pulled off his pants. Yosuke snorted, heading over to their bedroom and pulling out a pair of pajamas for Souji, who pulled them on once he was dry. Yosuke went back to the couch, giving the bags on the table an interested glance but knowing better than to peek and spoil the surprise. Souji came back in a few moments later, hair back in place, and made a beeline for the bags. Yosuke had just let his attention wander back to the quiz show when a package landed in his lap, startling him. 

“Orange kit-kats? You’re spoiling me, Partner!” Yosuke laughed, tearing the package open with enthusiasm. 

“Dinner will be a while, and I didn’t want you to starve to death,” Souji said around a mouth of green tea kit-kats he’d evidently bought for himself. Yosuke laughed, watching as Souji pulled a stack of ingredients out of two of the bags on the table. He grinned - he was no cook, but he could tell what Souji was planning by the ingredients.

“Homemade Seta curry on my birthday? You really  _ are _ spoiling me!” he exclaimed, and Souji just smiled at him. He turned back to the TV, munching on the candy and halfway watching the quiz show, halfway listening to his partner work. Eventually, Souji plopped down beside him on the couch, with a carefully wrapped present in hand.

“Just letting everything simmer,” he explained, when Yosuke glanced back at the stove. He handed the box to Yosuke, who took it eagerly. It was about the size of a large book, but suspiciously lightweight. He gave Souji the side-eye at that, and noticed him smirking. The last time he’d done something like this, it had been a pair of concert tickets that had led to one of Yosuke’s fondest memories...from before they started dating, anyway. He pulled open the wrapping paper, opened the plain brown box, pulled out another box, opened  _ that  _ box, frowned over at a giggling Souji, pulled out  _ another _ box, opened it, and barely managed to catch the small white envelope that slid out of the box. He opened the envelope, only to find...a pair of plane tickets.

“Uh,” he started, eyes wide, as he examined the tickets. “H-Hawaii?! Souji...how did you-”

“I have my ways,” Souji smirked. He handed his phone to Yosuke. There was a hotel booking for next month for an  _ entire week _ at a hotel somewhere in Hawaii. It was a luxury suite, too, with a kitchenette and everything. “I already talked to your boss, and got the time-off request approved for you. And it’s between semesters, so we don’t have to worry about school.”

“Seriously, Partner,” Yosuke started, turning to fully face him, face serious. “How did you afford this? And don’t just say ‘I have my ways’.”

“Rise and Kanami-san are doing a show over in Hawaii,” Souji admitted, scratching at the back of his head. “They helped.”

“Oh,” Yosuke said, with a sigh. “Good. Because I know you love me, Partner, but I don’t want you to spend  _ that _ much money on me! Honestly.”

“I’d do it if I could,” Souji replied, leaning forward to peck him on the lips. “And besides, that’s only the first part of the present.”

“Oh?” Yosuke asked. Souji smirked, and the kitchen timer went off right then - and Yosuke was relatively certain he’d  _ planned it _ that way - so he got up and went to tend to the curry. Before long, Yosuke was sitting down at the table to a plate of hot, delicious golden curry and a glass of cold sak é, both of which he absolutely relished. 

“I wish I could cook every night,” Souji sighed, as Yosuke leaned back in his chair, full and warm and satisfied. He nodded.

“Me too. Maybe once we’re done with college?” Yosuke suggested, and Souji gave him a shy smile in return, something he hadn’t seen on his Partner’s face in a while. It made him pause, but Souji stood up and grabbed their empty plates and spoons, depositing them in the sink, and then made his way over to the refrigerator. There had been a medium-sized white box in there since this morning and it had been a constant struggle for Yosuke not to look inside, but he had triumphed. Now Souji was setting the box in front of him and lifting off the lid and inside was yet another handmade cake, Yosuke was sure. It was similar to the one Souji had made him two years ago, Yosuke realized as he took the knife from Souji and cut into it - moist orange inside, creamy frosting outside.

“I thought I’d give this type of cake another shot this year,” Souji explained, as Yosuke served them each a wedge of the cake. “I didn’t use a boxed mix this time. I made the icing from scratch too.” Yosuke chuckled, shaking his head.

“Man. I have got to be the luckiest guy in the world. Or at least in Tokyo,” he joked, spearing a piece of the cake on his fork and lifting it into his mouth to taste. He’d thought the last iteration of the orange cake was good. He’d thought last year’s strawberry shortcake was heavenly.  _ This _ was just...incredible.

“Are you sure you’re going into the right field? Because  _ damn _ Souji, you should be a chef,” Yosuke complemented, reaching for another bite right away. Souji laughed and blushed.

“I don’t think I could make a cake this good for just  _ anybody _ , Yosuke,” Souji explained. Yosuke tilted his head to the side, questioning, and Souji smirked. “There’s a secret ingredient you know...it’s love.”

“Oh man, you can be so  _ corny _ sometimes, Partner,” Yosuke groaned, but he was smiling anyway. Souji laughed.

After cake, Yosuke opened the rest of the gifts. All of them were things that would be useful for their vacation - a CD that promised you would ‘learn English fast’ from Yukiko, a book of all the best restaurants in Hawaii from Chie, bags with a ton of pockets that folded down into impressively small sizes from his parents, suntan lotion from Kanji, a new pair of swim trunks from Souji (his old ones  _ were _ getting a bit worn out…), a gift card to a very fancy restaurant from Naoto, and from Rise…

He immediately turned bright red, slapped his palm over his face, and started to laugh when he opened Rise’s gift. He heard the bag crinkle as Souji looked, and then he too was laughing. 

Freaking...lingerie. With strawberries all over it.

“She’s never going to let me live the cultural festival down is she?” Yosuke groaned, even though he was still laughing. Souji seemed to have contained his own mirth down to just chuckles.

“I don’t know...I think it’ll look good on you, Partner,” he managed. Yosuke smirked over at him.

“Oh yeah?” he asked, and Souji returned his smirk.

“We could...test it out. You know, just to make sure fits…” he suggested, lifting his eyebrows suggestively. Yosuke snorted.

“Okay...but let me finish with the rest of the presents.”

* * *

 

**June 22nd 2016**

Morning

Weather: cloudy

 

“This is my last birthday as a college student,” Yosuke realized, as he sipped his morning coffee. At the table across from him, Souji chuckled. 

“It feels like we’ve been in school for ages, doesn’t it…” he trailed off. The cat in his lap - a little blue-eyed white cat they’d named ‘Bani’, which had been part of Yosuke’s birthday present to Souji last year - gave a little ‘mew’, and Souji smiled affectionately down at her and patted her on the head. Yosuke felt Mocha twine around his legs, and reached down to scratch behind her ears. In the background, Yosuke could hear the TV - the news was, predictably, talking yet again about that artist guy - Madarame or whoever - and the Phantom Thieves. It seemed like lately, that was all they talked about. Phantom Thieves this, Madarame that, scandal scandal scandal.

“I just hope I don’t blow it and have to go back for another year...that would suck,” Yosuke continued. Another thought occurred to him as his eyes caught on the silver band on his partner’s hand, and he chuckled. “Well, it’s hopefully my last birthday as a student but...it’s also my first birthday as a  _ fianc _ _ ée _ .” The indulgent smile Souji replied with was something he didn’t think he’d ever get tired of seeing on Souji’s...his  _ fianc _ _ ée’s... _ face.

“So, what surprises await me this year?” Yosuke asked, and Souji laughed.

“As if I’d just tell you,” he replied, with a shake of his head. “And you’ll have to wait until after classes to find out.”

“Aww,” Yosuke pouted. “No hints?”

“Nope,” Souji answered. Bani gave a meow and jumped out of his lap.

“Can’t we just skip class and go do something fun? That picnic a couple of years ago was fun,” Yosuke pouted, and Souji shook his head with a sigh. He opened his mouth to reply, and Yosuke, already knowing what he was going to say, said it along with him.

“School is important, Yosuke.”

“Well, it is,” Souji added, with a frown. It was cute. 

“Yeah, but so is making out with your  _ fianc _ _ ée _ on a hill watching the sunset,” Yosuke countered. Souji replied with a dramatic sigh.

“I knew it...I really did spoil you with Hawaii, didn’t I?” he replied, and Yosuke laughed.

“I think we spoiled each-other,” he pointed out. Souji chuckled.

“True, true,” he admitted. He looked down at his phone for a second, seriously considering something, before letting out a big sigh. “All right. I’m sure I’ll regret this but...just for today...let’s skip classes.”

“Whoa, seriously?” Yosuke asked, pumping his fist in the air in triumph. “Mr. Every-Teacher’s-Pet Souji Seta is skipping class for  _ me _ ? Best birthday ever!”

“Just wait until you see the presents,” Souji replied. Yosuke was practically vibrating in his seat with excitement.

“Oooh, can I?” he asked, and Souji laughed.

“Maybe,” he replied, with a wink, standing up and collecting their now-empty coffee cups and breakfast dishes. “Don’t get your hopes up  _ too _ high though - not even I could pull off something as crazy as Hawaii two years in a row.”

“Honestly, Partner?” Yosuke asked, feeling a little bashful (which was crazy, because he’d been dating Souji for  _ how long _ ? They were  _ engaged _ , he shouldn’t still be feeling bashful!). “You skipping classes for me is good enough all on its own. I...just want to be with you. The gifts are a nice bonus. Aaaand whatever cake you made for me this year.”

“If you say so,” Souji replied, with a frown. Still cute.

“Hey, what’s wrong with just wanting to spend the day with you? We’ve both been busy lately. I’ve missed just hanging out with you,” Yosuke replied. He rounded the table to stand in front of Souji, who had just finished putting their breakfast dishes in the dishwasher.

“All right then,” Souji replied, grinning down at Yosuke. “What should we do with the day?”

“Hm,” Yosuke pretended to think, before taking Souji’s hand and tugging him toward the couch. “Why don’t we start by making out on the couch for a while, and see where that takes us?” 

“Don’t you want to see your gift?” Souji asked, even as Yosuke shoved him playfully onto the couch, where he landed with an ‘oof’, and Yosuke immediately crawled on top of him.

“Later. I’m sure it’s amazing and thoughtful and I’ll love it, and the cake will be amazing,” Yosuke replied, lowering himself to rest on Souji’s chest and kiss him thoroughly. He didn’t come up for air until he felt one of the cats - Mocha, it turns out - jump on his back and settle herself. He chuckled, and Souji laughed too, reaching up to pet the cat as Yosuke dove back down for another kiss.

* * *

**June 22nd 2017**

Evening

Weather: cloudy

 

Yosuke sighed in contentment as sank down into the couch, belly full of curry and coffee and cake, in what was starting to become a birthday tradition for him. He got a little thrill as he realized that it was likely the first of many traditions in the Seta-Hanamura household. He lifted his hand to study the silver ring there, not for the first time today. Souji put an armful of gifts on the table in front of him, then joined him on the couch with a smile. 

“It’s your first birthday as  _ my husband _ ,” Souji pointed out, and Yosuke laughed, dropping his hand with a grin.

“Yeah,” he replied. He leaned forward, or maybe it was Souji, but either way they shared a quick kiss, before Souji pulled away and gestured to the pile of gifts.

“Well, go on,” he said, and Yosuke didn’t have to be told twice.

Their wedding had been not-too-long ago, so Yosuke hadn’t really been expecting anything at all for his birthday, so the small amount of things were a pleasant surprise. His parents had finally learned not to send him video games that he may or may not own but definitely didn’t have the time to play and had, instead, started sending him socks. The scary part was, he was actually grateful. He got presents from the old Investigation Team, of course, and some college friends and work buddies. But Souji was making him save the best for last, it seemed, because soon there was a pile of presents, a bunch of balls of wrapping paper that the cats were attacking, and one last gift. 

It was the size of a small laptop, which made Yosuke immediately suspicious. True to his nature, it was a box within a box within a box, which contained an envelope. The envelope was pretty big though, so Yosuke wasn’t at all surprised when there was another envelope inside that envelope. And inside that envelope was a folded piece of paper.

It was...the deed to a motorcycle. And a key.

“You didn’t,” Yosuke accused, but Souji was smirking when he finally turned to face him. “Okay,  _ how _ did you do this? And don’t say ‘I have my ways’!” 

“Dojima-san knows someone that was selling their old motorcycle. I bought it from him, and had it repaired and restored. It’s parked downstairs, if you want to go see it.”

Yosuke was on his feet before Souji had even finished the sentence.

“Um, how about  _ hell yes _ ?” he exclaimed, and Souji laughed, standing to join him. He turned to Souji and kissed him soundly on the lips, before turning toward the door, brimming with excitement. Souji grinned.

“Why don’t you take it for a spin around the neighborhood, in fact? For, say, ten or fifteen minutes?” he asked. Yosuke turned back toward him, immediately suspicious. 

“What are you planning?” he asked. Souji chuckled.

“Let’s just say...there’s some strawberry lingerie that’s coming out of retirement,” he replied, with a wink. Yosuke made a choking noise. 

“And just how am I supposed to concentrate on  _ driving _ with that image in my head?!” he demanded.

“How indeed?” the silver-haired man asked, heading for their bedroom with a laugh. Yosuke looked from the open bedroom door to the key in his hands, and sighed.

“I guess it’ll have to wait until tomorrow,” he said, loud enough for Souji to hear, and even though he _sounded_ mad he was grinning, of course. He slammed the key down on the kitchen counter and all but bolted for the bedroom door.


	2. 2018

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yosuke is on tour with Risette and Kanamin, hundreds of miles away from home, on his birthday. How is he supposed to celebrate without Souji there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Ysma voice) Bet you weren't expecting a second chapter of THIS!

**June 22nd, 2018**

Afternoon

Weather: Cloudy

 

“Hey, Partner!” Yosuke exclaimed, eagerly pressing is phone to his ear with a huge grin that he didn’t even bother trying to suppress. He heard the tinny sound of Souji chuckling, before his partner - lover -  _ husband _ (he didn’t think he’d ever get used to that one) - greeted him.

“Hey yourself. Happy Birthday, Yosuke,” he said. 

“It’s good to hear from you, Partner. I miss you so much,” Yosuke said into the receiver, catching out of the corner of his eye the way Rise shook her head with a little smile on her face. He turned his back to both of the other occupants of the room, hearing them whispering to each-other but ignoring them. 

“I know you do, Yosuke. I miss you too. But it’s only a couple more months before you’re back in Tokyo with me,” Souji reminded him. Yosuke pouted.

“Yeah...and I guess I can’t complain  _ too _ much that I’m getting to do my dream job...even if touring with idols is really exhausting,” he sighed. He heard more whispering, and then turned a little to notice Rise heading to the door and slipping out.

“Have you gotten the presents I sent to you?” Souji asked, distracting him from wondering about where she was going.

“Yeah, and I haven’t opened them yet. Rise-chan and Kanami-san wouldn’t let me,” he joked, turning to look at the other occupant of the room, who grinned and gave him a thumbs up. “Not that I would have opened them early, anyway.”

“Sure,” Souji replied, voice dripping in sarcasm, and Yosuke pouted again.

“I wouldn’t have! When have I ever opened any of your gifts early, Partner?” he asked.

“True, true,” Souji replied, with a laugh. “So, how is your birthday so far this year?”

“Well, it sucks without you here,” Yosuke replied, with a huff. “But other than that, it’s been going pretty good. I had a short day in the sound studio today, so I’ve been hanging out with Rise-chan and Kanami-san mostly. We’re thinking about getting noodles later...it sucks that it won’t be your usual curry and cake, but…” 

“I’ll make you a cake when you get back from the tour, I promise,” Souji said. Yosuke started to reply, but Souji made a noise. “Oh, hang on just a second, Yosuke.” He could tell that Souji put a hand over the phone, because he could hear him talking to someone else - a girl, he could tell from the voice - but it was all muffled. A few seconds later, Souji was back. “Sorry about that.”

“No problem,” Yosuke replied. “Anyway, what kind of cake?”

“Hm?” Souji asked, and Yosuke could faintly hear the sound of footsteps. Was he walking somewhere?

“What kind of cake are you going to make?” he asked.

“Whatever kind of cake you want,” Souji replied. “And curry and coffee, of course.”

“Well, yeah,” Yosuke laughed. Then he sighed.

“Just a couple of months...I really do miss you, though,” he said.

“It’ll be over before you know it,” Souji assured him. “Any way, make sure you have fun today, all right? And don’t eat too much cake.”

“Cake?” Yosuke asked, perking up. “What’s this about cake?”

“I ordered one to be delivered to where you three are having your party. It should be arriving soon,” Souji explained. 

“Guess that’s where Rise-chan went…” Yosuke replied. “Well...there’s no way it’s gonna be as good as one of  _ your _ cakes, Partner.”

“What a tragedy,” Souji replied, with a little laugh. “Having to suffer through the indignity of eating cake that hasn’t been specifically prepared for you.”

“W-well when you put it that way…” Yosuke muttered, blushing a little. “I mean, we’re both fully aware that you spoil me every year, right? This isn’t new, Souji.”

“I know, I know,” Souji relented. “I just like teasing you. I wish I could see your face, I’ll bet you’re blushing right now.”

“Shut up,” Yosuke groaned, and Souji laughed. 

“Anyway, I’m going to let you go for now, all right? Happy Birthday, Yosuke. I love you,” he said.

“Love you too…” Yosuke sighed, and pulled the phone away from his ear, pouting at it a little, before slipping it into his pocket and sitting down on a nearby chair.

“Aww, cheer, up, Yosuke-san! I know it’s hard being away from your husband, but you’ll be back before you know it!” Kanami said, moving over toward him with a big smile on her face. Yosuke met her smile with a smaller one, scratching at the back of his head sheepishly.

“Yeah, you’re right, Kanami-san. Thanks,” he replied, and she nodded.

“And you’ve got all these presents to open, and the cake to eat! I can’t wait to find out what kind of cake it is…” she trailed off, looking at the door, and Yosuke laughed.

“Well, it’s not going to be as good as one of Souji’s usual cakes...I mean, there’s no way he mailed a cake to us, right?” he asked, and she chuckled.

“Yeah, of course not. It would get squished in transport!” she replied. He nodded. It was quiet for a moment, and then Yosuke turned back to her.

“Hey, Kanami-san, thanks for being here with me, on my birthday. You and Rise both… I wasn’t looking forward to celebrating it alone,” he admitted.

“Well, I’m not as close to you as Rise-san is, but we’re friends, right?” she asked, looking a little nervous. He nodded. “And what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t help you celebrate?” 

“On your day off, though?” he asked, and she laughed.

“I’d probably just be in my hotel room watching TV or something,” she said. “It’s fine. At least I get to eat cake!”

“I think you’re more excited about the cake than I am,” Yosuke joked. There was suddenly a beeping noise, and Kanami grabbed her phone off of the nearby table. She read whatever text she’d just gotten, and then turned to Yosuke.

“Yosuke-san, I’m going to cover your eyes, okay? Rise-san wants the cake to be a surprise,” she explained, moving to stand behind where he was sitting. 

“Okay?” he said, a little confused. “It’s just a cake but...whatever.” She put both hands over his eyes and he sighed, closing his eyes and sitting patiently. 

“Ready to go, Rise-san!” she called, and a second later he heard the door open and, unless he was mistaken, two sets of footsteps entered the room. One set of footsteps headed straight for him, while the other went somewhere else, and Yosuke was curious about who the newcomer could possibly be, but kept his eyes closed anyway. 

“Okay, you can open your eyes now!” Rise called, startling him because her voice came from off to the side, and he’d been expecting her to be the person standing in front of him. Kanami moved her hands, and he blinked open his eyes, confused, to see…

...Souji. 

Souji, who he thought was hundreds of miles away in Tokyo, was standing in front of him, right now.

He was out of the chair in an instant, flinging himself at Souji, who opened his arms with a huge grin and caught him easily. 

“Partner!” he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around him and hugging him tight. He heard Souji chuckle, but just buried his face in Souji’s shoulder for a second before releasing the hug and stepping back to look up at him. “What are you doing here?”

“Happy Birthday,” Souji repeated, with a smirk. “I’m your present this year.” And with that, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to Yosuke’s lips, which Yosuke couldn’t help melting into. He hadn’t been on tour with Rise and Kanami for long, but he already missed kissing Souji. And holding Souji. And doing...other things with Souji. 

When they pulled away from the kiss, they had about two seconds to stare lovingly into each-other’s eyes before they heard Rise wolf whistle at them.

“Stop being so perfect, you two!” she teased. Yosuke threw a glare at her, blushing. 

“Your love is so beautiful!” cried Kanami, who had moved to stand beside Rise. “I’m so mad I had to miss the wedding because I was on tour!” 

Yosuke just buried his face back into Souji’s shoulder with an exasperated sigh. Souji laughed.

“Enjoying your present, Partner?” he asked, too quietly for Rise and Kanami to hear. Yosuke blushed, but pushed himself back away from Souji to nod, emphatically.

“You got the time off from work and came all the way out here just to see me?!” he demanded. Souji nodded.

“It was Rise-san’s idea!” Kanami chirped, and Yosuke turned to look at Rise, noticing for the first time the large box she was holding. She looked like the cat that ate the canary, a huge, almost uncharacteristically huge smirk on her face.

“It was hard not to tell you about it, especially when you spent all of yesterday moping about not getting to be with Souji on your birthday,” she explained, closing the distance between them with a laugh. “And I was a little worried you’d get suspicious when you  _ conveniently _ got a huge suite room to stay in for this stop of the tour.”

“I  _ did _ think that was weird,” Yosuke said, folding his arms with a frown. “Man...you did a great job playing it off when I asked, though.” She giggled.

“I mean, I  _ am _ an actress, Sempai,” she replied. 

“Did you really mope all day yesterday?” Souji asked, looking a little more smug than Yosuke would have liked. Yosuke started to deny it, but Rise interrupted.

“Oh, like you were much better, Sempai,” she said, a teasing tone in her voice. She continued with a lower pitched voice, obviously mocking Souji. “Can’t I come in a day or two early? It’ll be an even bigger surprise!” 

“W-well…” Souji started, but obviously had no comeback to that. So he just shrugged. Yosuke chuckled at him. 

“Anyway,” Yosuke said, leaning over to peer at the box in Rise’s hands. “I’m starving. Let’s cut this cake!”

The cake was delicious, as usual. It was a strawberry cake this year, with actual pieces of strawberry in it, to Yosuke’s delight. He still wasn’t a big fan of overly sweet chocolate, so the frosting was dark chocolate. Souji lamented that it had gotten a little dry in transit - he’d apparently carried the cake with him for the entire train ride from Tokyo - but as far as Yosuke was concerned, it was as perfect as usual. Cake consumed and presents opened, the four of them went to eat at a nearby noodle bar before parting ways. Yosuke dragged Souji back with him to his hotel room, giddy and feeling just as in love as he had on the day of their wedding. Souji would be leaving the next afternoon, and while it sucked that he couldn’t stay longer, it was enough. Both of them knew that it would be enough to sustain them for the next couple of months, before the tour ended and Yosuke returned. 

And, honestly, it was a pretty memorable birthday: belly full of delicious cake and noodles and beer, cuddling up to his husband (still not used to the word) in a nice hotel room with a gorgeous view - he was sure he’d remember this for a long, long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There wasn't a really good place to work this into the chapter itself, but Yosuke works as a sound engineer, and Rise just happened to pull some strings to get him hired to work on the Risette and Kanamin tag-team concert tour.


End file.
